When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after anotherjourneying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed.And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,and the birds of the sky ate it up.Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,it withered for lack of moisture.Some seed fell among thorns,and the thorns grew with it and choked it.And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,it produced fruit a hundredfold."After saying this, he called out,"Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."

Then his disciples asked himwhat the meaning of this parable might be.He answered,"Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Godhas been granted to you;but to the rest, they are made known through parablesso that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.

"This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.Those on the path are the ones who have heard,but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their heartsthat they may not believe and be saved.Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,receive the word with joy, but they have no root;they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.As for the seed that fell among thorns,they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,embrace it with a generous and good heart,and bear fruit through perseverance."

Reflection

The seed types are symbols of faith. Some will easily lose their faith once confronted with difficulties and challenges in life; others will believe for a little while but will eventually collapse under pressure; while there are some who will not mature in faith, being choked by the anxieties, riches and pleasures of life. And there are those who hear the word with open hearts and minds, persevere in the journey with faith and hope, in prayer and acts of charity... and they bear fruit.

We are left to examine our selves and choose which path are we taking or willing to take.